I sometimes wonder why there isn’t as much buzz about content marketing as there is social media marketing. Especially, when content marketing is the foundation of all good online marketing. Content marketing may not be as sexy sounding as social media, but it is absolutely crucial. If you need some ideas for content marketing, I wrote a post a while back on 50 Ways to Serve Up Hot Juicy Content. This post is about how to measure the success of your content marketing. 1) Opt-Ins – This is the #1 way to see if your content has traction. Do people subscribe to it? Are they willing to trade their email…

In mid-2010, I started writing The New Small. I wasn’t sure about where my journey would take me, but I knew two things: I wanted to profile a wide range of technologies. I didn’t want to profile a bunch of tech companies. I was able to kill two birds with one stone when I came across a very progressive law firm based in Minnesota: Skjold-Barthel. The firm threw all of its data and apps into the cloud after some IT issues caused a number of problems, not the least of which was lost revenue. Brass tacks: the firm had to decide if it was in the law business or the…

The travel industry has perhaps the greatest potential to grow and market online. Sadly, most hotels and resorts treat online marketing very much like they do traditional marketing – they setup a brochure website, and then forget about it. To truly engage an audience and sell more rooms, you need to look at web marketing as a living, breathing, entity. These online marketing tips don’t apply to local motels which would be best served by billboards and local marketing. Instead, I want to focus on true vacation destination hotels and resorts. Places people research and book in advance. Get the Basics Right – I’ve said it before, and I will…

In 2010, we were all enamored by social media marketing. Stories about folks getting fired because of their tweets or getting caught cheating thanks to Facebook were all the rage at parties. Okay…well…at least they were at the social gatherings I was attending. Now, we see a greater concern for privacy emerge and more people suffering from information overload. Here are 3 trends I see emerging this year – Every Tweet Counts – In 2010, tweeting became a phenomenon. We saw hordes of people sign up, tweet about their lunch plans, and then promptly stop using the service after pronouncing it absolutely useless. In 2011, we will see more people…

2011 will be the year of the mobile application. Early adopters will roll their eyes at that sentence, but Joe Doe from suburbia, who just got the iPad for Christmas is nodding his head. This year, widespread adoption will take mobile applications from a buzz phrase at SXSW to an everyday term (like microwave or blender…). And, more and more companies will lunge at creating mobile applications. But, creating an application and getting people to actually use it are two different things entirely. We’ve helped a few companies create and market their mobile applications, and here are 7 steps for marketing a mobile application. 1) Start by creating a good…

A reader asked me to address how freelancers can market their business. Here is an article I wrote a while ago on the topic. Most freelancers are talented, hard-working, creative, and do great work. Their one Achilles heel? Marketing! our business can be divided into two segments-service and marketing. If you are reading this article, then the assumption is that you care about your service and about improving your business. The second part of any business is marketing. Don’t shy away from tooting your own horn. A lot of freelancers I know are not comfortable with marketing because they feel like “Slick Willy” a typical car salesmen stereotype. But marketing…

Yes. I recently unfollowed 16,100 people on Twitter. Here is my story. Once upon a time there was a land named Twitterville. It was inhabited by 2000 wonderful, loving, geeky people. They shared stories, laughed at RTs, and wore t-shirts with blue birds on it. I was a citizen of Twitterville. And, then, things changed. Oprah and Ashton Kutcher found Twitterville. All of a sudden, Twitterville was overrun by people. 65 million people to be exact. The little town grew up to be a honking country of its own. I accepted that. I followed back anyone who followed me. But, as time went on, crime increased in the Twitterverse. I…

It’s the hottest news of the season. $6 billion dollars for a company that isn’t quite three years old, and wait for it…has no actual product? Well, it did make $500 million in revenue with its 3,000 employees last year, and Google is betting on it! The business is no other than Groupon.com. While many copycats have come to the market, this daily deal giant has been the leader in the field. So, what can we learn from Google’s decision to vie for Groupon’s attention? 1) Connecting people is a powerful business. As media and technology split our attention in a million directions, gathering multiple people at one water hole…

Let’s face it, 2010 was not the best year economically speaking. People lost jobs, families lost homes, and businesses tanked. But, in the midst of it all, we got creative. New companies blossomed, innovative marketing techniques came into play, and businesses across the board embraced social media as an efficient way to reach out to consumers. Our own web marketing firm grew 400% this year. Clients we worked with saw huge spikes in traffic, sales, and brand awareness. All in all, this was a good year. Now, it’s time to measure your 2010 efforts! How did this year stack up? And what are your goals for 2011? Here are some…